Lieuwe Westra

CHAMROUSSE, France, July 18 - Vincenzo Nibali put the hammer down on the Tour de France when the Italian snatched a solo win in the 13th stage in a mountaintop finish as Australian Richie Porte blew up in the heat on Friday.

Astana rider Nibali went on his own in the long climb to Chamrousse to open a 3:37 gap over Spain's Alejandro Valverde in the overall standings.

“I wanted to control the race. It was a very long climb, I thought it would never end,” said Nibali, who is looking to complete his set of grand tour titles having won the Giro last year and the Vuelta in 2010.

“I wanted to gain time on Valverde, and I knew Porte had been dropped. Then...

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CHAMROUSSE, France, July 18 - Vincenzo Nibali put the hammer down on the Tour de France when the Italian snatched a solo win in the 13th stage in a mountaintop finish as Australian Richie Porte blew up in the heat on Friday.
Astana rider Nibali went...